Adult Education in the United States: Its Scope, Nature, and Future Direction. Occasional Paper No. 105.

Overview & Synopsis

In recent years, adult education has been experiencing a major growth spurt. In a 1982 survey, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that more than 21 million people over the age of 17 attended adult education activities during 1981, an increase of 3 million in 3 years. The NCES conception of adult education is a relatively narrow one, which results in conservative figures. Persons most likely to participate in adult education are middle-class, white, and high school or college graduates. Women are more likely than men to participate. Much of the adult education activity is job-related, and most participants are in their 20s and 30s. More than 37 million different courses were offered in 1981, but only about 3 percent of the courses were aimed at remedying adult illiteracy. Types of adult education are courses carried out by a variety of schools and recreation departments, continuing education courses offered by professional organizations, "second chance" programs for persons who were inadequately educated in childhood, and employer-sponsored education and training. Adult education activities will continue to expand in the years to come. To meet the challenges of adult education, adult educators will have to be trained to understand adulthood and meet the needs of adult students. (KC)